Driving In Europe A White-knuckle Job

The greatest danger facing visitors to Europe may actually be European motorists. But Americans abroad on Old World roads can find it possible to drive and survive.

For a continent that likes to imagine itself culturally superior to the rest of the world, Europe is woefully behind in dealing with the perils and powers of car and driver.

In Rome, American tourists often are aghast at the traffic that swirls through the city.

There are traffic lanes painted on the streets, but they are useless decorations. Drivers head for any open space on either side of the lines -- double line or single, it does not matter.

They scoot for holes like prairie dogs pursued by coyotes. They sometimes drive on sidewalks, and they park their cars anywhere. Two wheels in the street, two on the sidewalk is generally the rule.

Despite this picture of chaos, it is possible to drive in Europe and survive, even if you are a law-abiding American taught that the pedestrian is always right and that speed signs should be obeyed.

In Europe, drivers who stop for pedestrians are stared at -- especially by the pedestrians. People on foot have grown accustomed to playing tag with wild traffic, and strangely, they seem to enjoy it.

There are speed limits on superhighways in Europe, but no one heeds them. None exist for such roads as West Germany`s toll-free autobahns. If you want to drive in the center lane of these racetracks, get a car that can travel at a minimum of 80 mph. If it can`t do more than 65, stay off the expressways.

But foreign motorists are treated kindly now and then. During our drive through Italy, my wife and I ventured into the complex suburbs of Naples, seeking the ruins of Herculaneum, a city at the foot of the volcano Vesuvius.

When we stopped to ask a man for directions, he amazed us by leaping into the car and pointing the way. Once we had reached our final approach and were incapable of getting lost, he leaped out, waved and walked off.

On a rainy day in Lucca, an ancient mountain city between Pisa and Florence, we asked a man the way to the tourist office. He started to tell us, gave up, and instead led us there on foot, getting himself and his suit thoroughly soaked.

Some say the French are anti-American. But when we asked another motorist for directions out of the Loire River city of Nevers, he waved for us to follow him. We did, speeding through alleys and across busy intersections to the edge of town, where he pulled off the road, pointed straight ahead and flashed a salute as we left him behind.

Foreigners can find other good points to European road travel. Car rentals are relatively cheap. An airport car rental in Frankfurt, for example, will cost about $120 a week for a small, two-door sedan. The price includes total- coverage insurance.

But remember, when driving it pays to follow the local customs -- forget the brakes, lean on the horn, stomp on the gas and head for the gaps.